So we know Ho Chi Minh
was formerly Saigon but have you ever wondered where the name Ho Chi Minh came
from? Or what it is? Rather, who?
I didn’t bother finding
out as I’m no history junkie so after our first museum visit, I learned that Ho
Chi Minh was a prominent revolutionary leader and former president of Vietnam. He
was also the chairman of the central committee of the communist party of
Vietnam. And somehow, the overall impression I gleaned was that he was a very
well-respected, if not well-loved by the Vietnamese people. And who wouldn’t? In
my brief trip to Vietnam, I’ve grown quite fond of him despite being a staunch
supporter of communism.
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| Volcano and totems symbolizing the great power of national liberation movements |
Ho
Chi Minh Museum.
Now, don’t confuse this with the Ho Chi Minh City Museum which is in Saigon. The museum has five floors of collections
of memorabilia, photographs, documents, and artifacts all pertaining to the great
Vietnamese leader. I especially loved the photograph timeline where we can see
the different sides of Ho Chi Minh’s persona as a charismatic president, as a
father to his people, and as a war leader. What I found really heartwarming was
the fact that Vietnamese people with their kids also visit the museum, trying
to get to know the man who shaped their nation’s history. Our next stop would
have been the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where his embalmed body lies.
Unfortunately, it was closed that day.
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| The one-pillar pagoda remains to be a place of offering |
One-Pillar
Pagoda. The
name already says it all. It’s a pagoda balanced on top of one pillar. Nothing
much to see here or do, except take pictures or make an offering.
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| Beautiful contrast of the yellow Palace against the lush greens |
Ho
Chi Minh Presidential Palace. One of my favorite stops for the day was the
Presidential Palace. Not only did I find the yellow palace beautiful set
against very lush greens, I also found the walk around the area very relaxing
since there were plenty of trees and greens. Although we weren’t allowed entry
into the Palace itself, the surrounding areas were equally wonderful. We saw
some of Ho Chi Minh’s cars and his bamboo stilt house, which is said to be where
he lived for quite a time before his death. The stilt house is very reflective of
his simplicity and humility. (No wonder why I really like this man!) I also
loved the huge fishpond with koi fishes fronting the stilt house. I could
almost imagine Ho Chi Minh walking around the place, in his kamisa de chino-like clothes and
slippers, feeding the koi fishes, or walking up to his mango orchard.
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| My ride! |
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| I would love to live in this bamboo stilt house! |
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| Unclo Ho fishpond |
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| One of the interesting figures inside the Temple of Literature |
Temple
of Literature. I
insisted we check out this place, half-imagining we could get to browse some of
the old Vietnamese poems or short stories. I was expecting more on the
literature side and less on the temple side but it turned out the other way. It
used to be a school but now it’s a place for people to pray.
Vietnam
National Museum of History. Can I just say that Vietnam is swarming with museums? I
felt like we had too many museum visits and yet, we haven’t even visited most
of them. The National Museum of History was an interesting place in that it keeps
historical artifacts such as jars, tools, even the teeth, skull, and bones of
early Vietnamese people. (Chocoholic's Note: Cameras are not allowed inside the museum.)
We wanted to check out the
Museum of Revolution but we couldn’t find it and the non-English-speaking
locals could not help either. We decided to call it a day. We had to catch a
train ride later that night. (Yes, the 30-hour train ride again back to
Saigon.)
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